runstetler



2 Sheets-'-Sheet 2.

A. RUNST'BTLER.

(No Model.)

' 001m PLANTER. No. 347,643.

Patented Aug. 17, 1886.

I UNITED STATES PATENT Caries.

ANDREYV RUNSTETLER, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO {THE FARMERS FRIENDMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CORN-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 347,643, dated August17, 1886.

Application filed March 10, i886. Serial No. 194,728. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, ANDREW RUNs'rETLER, of Dayton, in the county ofMontgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Corn-Planters, of-

which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of cornplanters which employs a mainframe supported by two groundwheels and a seedingframe attached to andin front of the main frame.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a front groundcaster-wheel, to support the tongue and a portion of the weight of the I5 seeding-frame.

Another object of my invention is to dispense with the ordinary shoes orrunners, and to employ seed-hoes with revolving cutters.

Another object of my invention is to connect the seeding-frame and itshoe devices to the elevating and depressing device mounted on the mainframe, so that the same can .be readily operated by the attendant fromhis seat.

2 5 Various other features of my invention will be fully set forth inthe description of the accompanying drawings, making a part of thisspecification, in which Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of myimprovement on line y y,-Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a similar elevation, showingthe seeding-hoes elevated out of the ground. Fig. 3 is a top plan Viewof Fig. 1. Fig. 4 isa modification of the main seeding-frame shown inFig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the lever and treadle. Fig. 6 isa detailview of the coupling-link and spring. r

A represents the ground-wheels; B, the axle;

G, the side rails of the main frame; a, brack- 0 ets connecting the axleto the side rails.

p 1) represents the tongue, hinged at its rear end to the frame.

(1 represents the cross-rail of the seedingframe. p v I E representsbrackets secured to the front cross-rail, d.

E represents brackets attached to the side rails C of the main frame.

6 represents pivot-bolts hinging brackets E to brackets E.

F represents the seedboxes. V

G represents a hollow seed hoe or tube rigidly connected to the seedboxes and the cross-railf of the seedingframe.

H represents coupling-arms, the rear ends 5 5 of which are bolted to theseed-tube G, and the front ends rigidly secured to the cross-rail d ofthe seeding-frame, for bracing the seedtube, It is shown of curved form,and serving as ajournal-support for the revolving cutter I.

J represents a caster-wheel supported in a forked standard, t, the upperend or shank of which swivels in bracket K, which bracket is attached tothe cross-rail d. 6 5

The front of the seeding-frame hinges on the pivot-bolts c. It is raisedand lowered by means of the following devices: 1 1 representcoupling-rods, hinged at each side by brackets f to the oross-railfof'the seeding-frame. The upper ends of said connecting-rods are hingedto arms 17, extending forward from rod 11 on each side of thefoot-lever.

I prefer to have the seedingframe flexibly hinged to the operating-lever2, mounted on the main frame, which is accomplished by the followingdevices: Coupling-rod '1 is provided with a head, 3, at its lower end,which passes through a socket, 4, to which socket the brackets f arehinged or connected by pins 5. 8o 6 represents coiled springs, the lowerend of which seat in the thimbles or sockets 4, and the upper ends areseated in socket-heads 7, which are rigidly connected to the rods 1 andhinged to the arms 17. By this means undue strains to which the colterand seed-tube G are subjected will cause the seeding-frame to rise outof the ground and turn on its hinge center 6, compressing the coiledspring 6, and assoon as it has passed the obstruction the retraction ofthe spring presses the tube or shoe G into the ground. The lever 2 isrigidly attached to a shaft, 11, which journals upon the side rails, C,of the main frame. I prefer to make the shaft in two pieces,the innerends of which are provided with flanges for bolting to'the lever, asshown. It may, however, be made in one piece and the lever secured to itin any suitable manner. The shaft is provided with two rigidly-attachedarms, 17, extending for- ICO ward0ne at each side of the leverto a pointabout over that where pressure is to be applied to the seeder-frame; andl preferto extend the lower end of the lever backward, as at 2, and toprovide the rear end of the extension with a footpiece, 8, so as toallow the seeding-frame to be elevated by the feet of the operatordepressing the rear end of the lever. 9 represents afoot-piece upon thefront end of the lever, which is preferably curved up, so as to bewithin convenient reach of the operator, for forcing the tube G of theseeding-frame into the ground. 10 represents a hand-lever keyed upon therod or levcrshaft 11. In Figs. 1 and 2 both foot and hand levers areattached to this shaft. In Fig. 5 the hand-lever is not shown. It isobvious that either the hand or foot lever, or both,may be used, asdesired. 12 represents a scctorrack, and 18 a hand-lock device forsetting the lever 10 in any desired position. Lt represents the driversseat, which is preferably attached to the cross-rail 15 of the mainframe. The revolving colter I and the seed hoe or tube G open the groundin a. better manner than the ordinary shoe or seed-runner and areeasilyoperated by means of the lever; and the method of constructing theseed-frame and hinging it to the main frame is such that the planter canbe used with good effect in unplowed stubble ground.

A modification of the method of hinging the seed-frame to the main frameis shown in Fig. l, in which the caster-wheelJ is omitted and the tonguerigidly connected to the crossrails d and f. 16 represents braces orhounds of the seeding-frame, which project far enough in rear of theseed-tube to form a journal for the hinge-rods 1, which couple them tothe arms 17, which parts are designed to operate in the same manner asthat before explained. In this figure L represents bolts, which act ascenters for hinging the seed-frame to the main frame. M represents abracket attached to the seed-framc, and N a bracket secured to the siderails of the main frame. The bolt L brings these two brackets together.The foot and hand lovers are mounted on the main frame in the samemanner as shown in Fi 1; but the method of hinging the seed-frame to themain frame is different. The operations are, however, substantially thesame, except that when force is applied to the elevatinglcvcrs, theseedframe moves backward on its hinge-bolts L, and the front end of themain frame rises by rocking over the axle, to allow the seed-frame andhoes to be elevated.

I have shown a single caster-wheel centrally connected to the mainframe; but it is obvious that two caster-wheels may be employed,provided they are swivelcd in a similar manner, as their office is tosupport the front end of the seeder-frame and take weight off of thetongue by which the planter is guided in its direction in the field.

By means of the rock-shaft l1 and the crankarms 17 the force applied bythe elevating and depressing lever is exerted equally upon both sides ofthe seeder-frame, which is raised, lowered, and controlled in a bettermanner than where the lever is centrally hinged to the seeding-frame.

I claim- 1. The combination, in a corn-planner, of a main frame providedwith carrying and covering wheels, a seeding-frame hinged to the forwardpart of the main frame,with seed-boxes, revolving eolters, andseedinghoes attached to the seeding frame, substantially as described.

2. The combination, in a corn-planter, of a main wheel-frail: e, aseeding-frame hinged to the forward part of the main f rame, seedboxes,revolving colters, sredinghoes, b 'ace-arms attached to the hingedseeding-frame, and a lever for bodily elevating and depressing thelatter, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in a corn-planter, of a main wheel-frame, aseeding-frame hinged at its forward part to the forward part of a mainframe, seeding-boxes, revolving eolters, seeding-hoes attached to thehinged seeding frame, and one or more levers for bodily elevating anddepressing the latter, substantially as described.

4. The combination, in a corn-planter, of a main wheel-frame, aseeding-frame hinged to the forward part of the main frame, andseedboxes, eolters, and seeding-hoes attached to the hingedSeedingframe, and one or more levers for bodily elevating and depressingthe seeding-frame, seeding-hoes, and colters, and a locking device forholding them in any desired position, substantially as described.

5. The combination, in a corn-planter, of a main wheel-frame, aseeding-frame hinged to the forward part of said main frame, seedboxesmounted on the seeding-frame, and a rock-shaft provided with crank-arms,and a lever or levers for the purpose of elevating and depressing theseeding-frame and transmitting pressure equally on both sides thereof,substantially as described.

6. The combination, in a corn-planter,of the wheeled main frame, theseed-box frame having a hinged connection with the forward end of themain frame, the seed-box mounted on said hinged frame, the seeding-hoeconnected to the hinged frame, the colter connected with the hoe andwith the hinged frame, and a lever for raising and lowering the latterand thereby bodily elevating and depressing the seed-box,with theseeding-hoe and the colter, substantially as described.

7. The combination, in a corn-planter, of the wheeled main frame, theseed-box frame having a front cross-rail hinged to the forward end ofthe main frame, the seed-box mounted on the seed-box frame entirely inrear of its hinged attachment, the seed-hoe secured to the hinged frame,the colter carrying couplingarm attached to the hinged frame and to theseed-hoe, and the lever for raising and lower- KOO ing the hinged frameand, thereby bodily, elevating and depressing the seed-box with theseeding-hoe and colter, substantially as described.

8. The combination, in corn-planter, of the wheeled main frame, theseed-box frame hinged at its forward end to the forward end of the mainframe and provided at its rear with a cross-rail, the seed-box mountedon the seed-box frame in rear of its hinged attachment, the seeding-hoesecured to said crossrail, the colter carrying coupling-arm, attached atone end to the seeding-hoe andat the other end to the hinged frame, anda lever for raising and lowering the hinged frame and thereby bodilyelevating and depressing the seed-box with the seeding-hoe and colter,substantially as described,

9. The combination, in a cornplanter, ofa wheeled main frame, a seed-boxframe hinged to theforward end thereof, a seed-bog: mounted on thehinged frame, a seeding-hoe secured to the latter, and a colter-carryingarm secured to the sceding=hoe and to the hinged frame, with atransverse rock-shaft journaled on the main frame, and having twocrank'arms, one

at each side of the machine, pivotally connected, respectively, with theopposite sides of the hinged frame, and a lever. for rocking said shaft,substantially as described.

10. In combination with the main frame of a corn-planter, supportedonground-wheels, and a seed-frame hinged at its rear end to elevatingand depressing le'vers on the main frame and at its front end to thefront end of the main frame, the caster-wheel J, swiveled upon the frontend of the seeding-frame, whereby the weight is removed from the tongueand borne by said caster-wheel, substantially as specified.

11. In combination with the seed-frame hinged to a main frame andtoelevating and depressing levers operated from the main frame, theseedtube G, colter I, secured to the seed-frame, and a swivelingcaster-wheel, J, supporting the front end of said seed-frame,substantially as specified.

12. In a corn-planter, the lever 2, connected to a transverse shaftjournaled on the main frame and provided with -forwardly-extending arms,one at each side of the machine-frame, adapted to form hingedconnections to the seeder-frame for the purpose of transmitting pressureequally on both sides thereof, substantially as specified.

13. In combination with the main frame, the transverse rock-shaftjournaled thereon and an elevating and depressing lever rigidlyconnected thereto and crank-arms rigidly connected to the rock-shaft,one at each side of the machineframe and hinged to both sides of theseeder-frame, substantially as specified. In testimony whereof I havehereunto set my hand.

ANDREW RUNSTETLER.

Witnesses:

GEORGE O. WARRINGTON, WM. H. LEFEVRE.

